La Vecchia Signora – The Old Lady, is the nickname most associated with Juventus, isn’t it quite ironic then, that when the club was founded in 1897 by students of the city, they chose to name the new team ‘Juventus’, which in Latin means youth. When it comes to Juventus and players coming through the youth system, or primavera as it’s known in Italy, its history is quite chequered.
In recent years only has risen through the ranks from the primavera to established first team player on a consistent basis. He grew up as part of a talented threesome, along with Paolo De Cegile and Sebastian Giovinco, all three where then loaned out to Empoli, and all of them gained valuable Serie A experience before returning to Juventus in the summer of 2008. Giovinco and De Cegile flitted in and out of the first team, mainly due to injures (as was the case of De Cegile) and because of a certain legendary no.10 who was always one of the first names on the team sheet (which was Giovinco’s problem).
After two frustrating seasons with the Biaconieri, Giovinco was sent on loan to Parma (while they bought 50% of his contract) in the summer of 2010, the move revitalized the ‘Atomic Ant’ and this summer Juventus paid Parma €11 million to bring him back to Turin after a brilliant season in which he scored 15 league goals and contributed 11 assists. Paolo De Cegile in the meantime has improved greatly under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, his crossing ability from the left hand side was a great feature in Juve’s march to the Scudetto. His injury problems are a persistent thorn in his development though it has to be said.
During the Luciano Moggi era, young players were mostly used as part of transfer deals for highly prized players (this would also happen in the Alessio Secco era as well), the likes of Matteo Brighi, Tomasso Rocchi, Fabrizio Miccolli and many more were discarded to clubs in Italy and further afield. Indeed, from Alessandro Del Piero in 1993, nobody made the grade to the first team on a regular basis until Marchisio in the 2008/09 season. Italy’s most successful club where following the general trend of the country itself, where experience is valued and the youth find it hard to get a break, but over the last season or two Juve’s stance on youngsters has changed drastically thanks to two men; general manager Guiseppe Marotta and his right hand man Fabio Paratici.
This summer has seen the two men scout and then snap up nearly as many youngsters as all the teams in Serie A have bought first team players combined, its got to the stage where the club are buying a youngster every other day, but the main ones have been Nicola Leali, Alberto Masi, Paul Pogba, Richmond Boakye, Leo Bonatini and Manolo Gabbiadini, to follow on from bringing in Ouasim Bouy and Gabriel Appelt last season.
Leali is a very highly rated goalkeeper, coming from Brescia for a reported €3.5 million, who may or may not go out on loan to gain some experience before returning to the club. He will no doubt learn by training with the one of the world’s finest goalkeepers in Gianluigi Buffon.
Alberto Masi has been signed from Pro Vercelli, hailed as ‘the new Alessandro Nesta’, is a central defender who has very good feet, the nineteen year old has already played for the club during pre season games and has been given the number five shirt. There is talk of him also going out on loan, possibly to Genoa.
The acquisition of Paul Pogba was what seemed to be a never-ending saga, the deal dragged on for months on end before he finally signed the dotted line last month. Instrumental in the deal was the super agent Mino Raiola (who also aided Juventus in signing another client of his, the aforementioned Dutch starlet Bouy). Pogba’s former club, Manchester United, were not happy at Raiola’s conduct during the last few months of Pogba’s stay in Manchester, many supporters of the English club felt that Raiola was controlling his client and steered him towards Italy.
Regardless if that is true or not, Pogba has the potential to be a world class midfielder in the very near future, he has been lazily compared to Patrick Vieira, but having seen him play during pre season, one can see a slight resemblance to the former Juventus and Inter midfielder, he has a languid style of play, is very good with the ball and is tall. Having Raiola as his agent will guarantee one thing; Pogba will not be going out on loan this season to gain experience, he will more than likely be Andrea Pirlo’s understudy, and with Juventus battling it out in three competitions this season, he will get games.
Whether any of the youngsters Juve have signed ever get to establish themselves in the first team the way Marchisio has is open to question, but what is undisputed is that Juventus are a club building for the future, as Calcio in general reels from a mass exodus of its star players, there is the opportunity for young players throughout the league to make a name for themselves. One can safely say that most of us are excited to see what the likes of Masi, Pogba, Insigne, Immobile, Destro etc can add to Serie A in the next several years, and that can only be a good thing.
